


Just For You

by NamelesslyNightlock



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Gift Giving, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Loki Is Good At Feelings, Loki will give him one, M/M, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, it's so fluffy oh my god
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 02:39:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17153750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: “Did you seriously booby trap the presents?” Tony asked, his voice slipping into a whine. “Why would you even do that?”“I believe that poking the wrapped gifts is forbidden,” Loki said, still visibly amused. “Surely that rule extends even to you?”Tony has never exactly had a great experience with Christmas, and he's not used to receiving gifts. So when boxes start to appear under the tree, he is, of course, instantly suspicious.





	Just For You

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, I saw the prompt about booby trapping presents on [this list](http://quietlyapocalyptic.tumblr.com/post/181031470459/captainleonardmccoy-steggyfanevents) and then it ran away from me a bit. It’s nothing like what I originally planned, but oh well. So, here’s my third and final FI Christmas fic for this year, I hope you enjoy it!

The first present appeared under the tree on the 3rd of December.

There wasn’t anything particularly special about it. Actually, it was very generic looking– a perfect cube, wrapped in glossy red paper and topped with a gold bow. The colours _screamed_ Christmas, and the tiny tag on top embossed with the image of a snowflake just finalised the entire cliché.

In any other household, Tony supposed this was probably a normal thing. But this wasn’t a normal house– this was Avengers Tower, and when Tony spotted that present, he was immediately suspicious.

“JARVIS?” Tony asked cautiously, moving closer to the tree with slow, purposeful steps. “What is that?”

“It is a Christmas present, Sir,” JARVIS replied, his tone long suffering.

“Well, yes, I see that,” Tony muttered. He took another step, but stopped a few yards away, not wanting to get too close. “Was it screened?”

When JARVIS responded in the negative, Tony’s anxiety rocketed. He’d received more than enough hate mail as head of the largest weapons manufacturer in the US than he liked to remember, and while public opinion had improved since he had become Iron Man, the threats themselves had not diminished.

He leaned down further, trying to read the tag, but it was the wrong way up—

“Anthony.”

Tony nearly jumped a foot in the air as he spun around, wound so tight that he didn’t recognise the familiar voice until he was face to face with the speaker.

“Loki!” he exclaimed, relieved. “Give me a heart attack, why don’t you.”

True to form, Loki didn’t bother responding to Tony’s reaction with anything further than an eye roll. “What are you doing?” he asked, his gaze flicking behind Tony for moment. Then he paused. “And what is that?”

“Well, that’s what I was just wondering,” Tony muttered, his eyes narrowing at the suspicious box.

“I know that Midgardians often keep potted plants in their homes,” Loki continued. “But I was not aware that this extended as far as trees.”

Oh. So Loki hadn’t been curious about the ‘present’, then. Shame, really– Tony had been hoping they could put their heads together.

“It’s a Christmas tree,” Tony said, opting to explain rather than go over his own suspicions. “You know. You put it up, decorate it. Take it down at the end of December.”

Loki tilted his head, still clearly very confused and with his best ‘mortals are very strange’ look plastered across his face. “ _Why?_ ”

“Tradition, I guess.” Tony shrugged. “I don’t know how it started.”

“It actually goes back to pagan Yule celebrations,” said Steve, stepping into both the room and the conversation with a bright smile.

“How the hell do you know that?” Tony asked.

“You always sound so surprised when I know things,” Steve responded dryly, though he just seemed amused.

“It’s just that’s not exactly common knowledge,” Tony muttered.

Steve grinned. “Thor asked the same thing this morning. JARVIS answered.”

“I am pleased to be of service, Captain,” JARVIS said.

“As riveting as this conversation is,” Tony said, using the sudden interrupting to bolster his words in an attempt to hide his nervousness as he nodded toward the _thing_ under the tree. “Cap, is there any chance you know what _that_ is?”

“The red one?” Steve asked with a quiet chuckle, as if there were more than one. “Yes. I bought that yesterday.”

Tony frowned. “You... bought it?”

“Well, yes. I thought I’d start early,” Steve explained. “Get in before the rush, you know? I left it last minute last year, and the crowds...” His whole body shuddered, muscles spasming from head to toe. “It’s not an experience I’m looking to repeat.”

Feeling his frown deepen further, Tony glanced back down to the present, realising... that’s all it was. A Christmas gift, bought by Steve and wrapped up to hide its contents until it was ready to be opened.

“What is its purpose?” Loki asked, and Tony was glad of the extra time to sort out his thoughts.

“Well,” Steve said, looking pensive and not at all irritated by the questions. “It’s another part of the tradition. People buy presents for their friends and family, and then wrap them and put them under the tree to be opened on Christmas Day.”

“Your Midgardian traditions are confusing,” Loki stated. “Why do you need a specific day to give gifts to the people you care for? Is it not a more fitting demonstration of your affection to give gifts when you wish to, rather than when it is required?”

“Not all people on Earth celebrate Christmas, but for what it’s worth I do agree with you,” Steve admitted. “But it’s more than just the presents. It’s about the time you spend with your family and friends as well.”

“Then Christmas is a time of coming together?” Loki asked curiously. Huh. “And the presents are only one way of showing it?”

“Yes!” said Steve, smiling genuinely. “That’s exactly it.”

For a moment, Tony thought Loki might actually be about to _get_ the whole thing– which would be quite a feat considering that Tony didn’t, really, and he had lived on Earth his whole life.

But then—

“Oh, I see. This is a holiday designed to squeeze expensive gifts out of your richer friends.”

As Steve rose to the bait, Tony thought a bit more not only on what had been said, but on the fact that it had been Loki asking the questions. It was strange that Loki would take such interest in it, since he’d scoffed at most ‘mortal quirks’ in the past, seeing them as inferior or silly, a waste of time when humans had so little to spare compared to the lifetime of an Asgardian. Thor, of course, had embraced everything wholeheartedly – _especially_ birthdays – and had declared that Midgardian celebrations were clearly only so awesome because they truly enjoyed the little time that they had. Loki, though, generally remained sceptical—

So why was he taking such interest now?

—✽~✽~✽—

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, more and more brightly coloured presents began to appear below the tree, each quite clearly wrapped with varying levels of skill. Every time a new gift was added to the steadily growing pile Tony felt something inside him clench, a sense of uneasiness forcing its way up his throat until he felt like he was going to be sick.

He felt... pressured, like there was something he should be doing that he wasn’t. The things Steve had said were sharp in his mind, that it wasn’t the presents that mattered, but the people.

Tony had always felt a little bit separate from the Avengers, like he didn’t really fit. Maybe that was why he and Loki got along so well, the two outsiders who weren’t on the original payroll, the misfits who felt like no one else really wanted them there.

Most of the time, Tony could deal with it. But then along came Christmas and just threw everything into sharp relief.

Christmas had been a big thing when he was younger, though for entirely different reasons than most. Howard, after all, never cared about the dates of his business trips, focused more on what was best for the company. So the holiday itself was never a big deal but Christmas was a time of parties, which meant that it was a time for networking and showing off. Tony was often dragged to events that he had no business being at while so young, paraded about for twenty minutes or so as Howard’s child genius and then carted off home with Jarvis to let the adults do their thing. Howard and Tony’s Mom always showered him with gifts on the day of course, though Tony knew his Mom had done all the shopping the night before– and they were always impersonal. Maybe a toolkit that was shiny and new and not as specialised as the one he already had, or some parts for a robot that he would have preferred to pick out himself– but more often Captain America memorabilia, which was only another reminder of how much time Howard spent in the Arctic, or a car, or an apartment. Expensive and showy and meant to appease rather than please, with the expectation that Tony could spend all day (all year) playing with his new toys, thus out of the way while the adults attended to more important matters. They were never wrapped, never placed under the huge, perfectly decorated tree in the hall. There was no need for such frivolities in the Stark Household.

Christmas wasn’t all bad, of course. Sometimes, Jarvis’ wife Ana would make him cookies, and as he got older, she’d even let him help. Jarvis was always there, and he’d always try to make it special– and Jarvis always gave him something he knew Tony actually _wanted_. Things that he easily could have bought for himself, but that meant so much more coming from someone else. A single gift that was handed over where Howard couldn’t see.

So watching as presents slowly accumulated over the course of an entire month, lovingly (even if scrappily) wrapped and carefully labelled, was a fantastical experience that was completely and utterly new.

And Tony... couldn’t stop looking at them.

“You’re as bad as a kid,” Clint complained as he shoved a lumpy blue parcel that seemed to be more packing tape than wrapping paper between a large black bag and a shimmering green package. “Stop trying to peek!”

“I’m not,” Tony denied, his eyes following Clint’s hands as he moved to find another present its place. “I’m just... watching.”

Clint narrowed his eyes. “If you start poking them next, I swear to god, I am going to set Tasha on you.”

Thor glanced up from where he had been about to poke at a box Bruce had left on the coffee table. “Is that not allowed?” he asked, pouting.

“Of course not, it would ruin the surprise,” Loki said from his spot next to Tony on the couch, rolling his eyes like he hadn’t only just learned about Christmas himself. “Captain Rogers informed me that one is not to know the contents of their offering until the 25th day of December."

Tony frowned. Loki had been talking to _Steve_ about this?

He didn’t know why he found that so unsettling. After all, it wasn’t like Tony was the Christmas expert, but... he was usually the person Loki came to when he had a question about how things worked in ‘Midgard’.

“You make it sound like some kind of sacrifice, dude,” Clint complained. “They’re _presents_ , not offerings. We’re not Vikings.”

Loki merely smirked in response, his eyes gleaming. “It is a sacrifice, is it not? Using your own money and time to procure or make a gift for another person, getting no benefit for yourself– except, perhaps, their present to you. But there is no telling that it would be a match in quality.”

“It’s not supposed to be a sacrifice. Giving can make you happy, if you look at it the right way,” said Bruce as he came over to pick up the present he’d left on the table, eying Thor suspiciously.

“I thought it wasn’t meant to be for yourself,” Tony chipped in. Had he misunderstood Steve? He knew his parents had done it wrong, that it was meant to be a selfless thing. “I thought Christmas was about making other people happy.”

Steve shook his head. “It’s for everyone, Tony. Like Bruce said– giving is a rewarding experience, even if you’re expecting nothing back.”

Well, Tony was aware of that already, thanks– except that when he’d tried to give Pepper presents in the past, she had always rejected them, telling him that it was ‘too much’– never mind that it was tiny compared to everything he has. That hadn’t felt so great. Had he accidentally fallen into the trap of expensive and impersonal? Maybe he’d learned how to give gifts from his father. He was better off just letting people choose their own, handing them a card and telling them to get what they deemed appropriate. It was something that Pepper, at least, had grown accustomed to.

Tony could feel a heavy gaze burning into his back and turned to find Loki watching him, his brow furrowed and an interesting twist to his lips. Tony thought he’d got pretty good at reading Loki over the past couple months, but there was no way that was _sadness_ , right?

Loki, after all, had absolutely no reason to be sad over Tony’s inability to understand the way Christmas was supposed to work. He was probably just plotting a prank, or something.

—✽~✽~✽—

On the night of the 24th, Tony couldn’t sleep. Steve had excitedly made everyone go to bed early, claiming that if they were doing Christmas as a team, then they had to do it properly. And Tony had tried to play along, he really had, but he kept tossing and turning and was back out of bed and heading for the kitchen before he’d properly thought it through.

He wasn’t sure what he was after– a coffee, maybe, to wake him up properly enough to head to the workshop? But his focus was caught by the twinkling of lights in the living room, and his feet carried him through a different door than the one he had been aiming for.

The pile of presents under the tree was larger than Tony had seen yet, shining in all the colours of Christmas.

Tony himself had actually placed presents underneath it that morning, one for each of the people living in the Tower. It had been difficult to think of something, because he was wary from previous experience of spending both too much and too little. He had considered making them new gadgets, but he gave those out any old day of the year and was worried of being accused of copping out. So he went with a mix of made and bought, trying to make them personal. He was still anxious about it, but... JARVIS assured him it would be all right, and he was sure they would be better than nothing at all.

Still, the pile was shining in the twinkling lights on the tree, inviting and curious. Tony’s gaze flickered around the room, darting from the door to the couch to the entryway for the kitchen and back again, checking for movement. He was entirely alone, and those presents were right there.

A quick look wouldn’t hurt anyone, right?

Slowly, as if he were expecting his knees to creak like old floorboards and alert the whole Tower, Tony knelt to the ground. He wasn’t going to cheat or anything, wasn’t going to aim for an early look, or to try and guess what the others had received– he just wanted to be able to skim the pads of his fingers across the surface of a present, to see that it was real. It wasn’t like he was going to get that experience tomorrow, after all.

He reached out, expecting to feel the smooth surface of the wrapping paper—

But something zapped his fingers, a powerful, sharp pain comparative to a particularly strong static shock. He yelped and scuttled backward, his shoe clipping another box and getting zapped again, stronger this time—

Tony turned to get away faster and hit a green box with his knee—

And the damn thing turned into a snake. An honest to god, _hissing_ snake, bright green and three feet long. It curled back and bared its fangs—

“Creeping around when everyone’s asleep, are we?” asked Loki, appearing from nowhere and making Tony jump about fifteen feet into the air _again_ , the goddamn bastard. And still Tony was scurrying back to get away from the snake, but thankfully Loki waved a hand, and then the present was back to looking like a completely ordinary box once more.

Fucking magic, man.

“I’m not _creeping_ ,” Tony muttered as he fought to get his heartbeat back under control. “I was just—“

“Breaking all the rules?”

“I thought you’d approve.”

Loki grinned, and Tony decided to count it as a win, using the brief pause to clamber back to his feet and brush himself off.

“Usually, yes,” Loki said. “However, this is a tradition that I feel interested in preserving.” He smirked. “Also, did you know that when you squeal your voice becomes impressively high pitched?”

“It does _not_. And anyway, come on. Did you seriously booby trap the presents?” Tony asked, his voice slipping into a whine and completely contrasting the first sentence. “Why would you even do that?”

“I believe that poking the wrapped gifts is forbidden,” Loki said, still visibly amused. “Surely that rule extends even to you?”

“Okay,” Tony sighed. “Fair. But why—“

“You have been eying those gifts all month,” Loki said, walking closer until he was only a yard or so from Tony himself. “I knew you would do something tonight, and thought it best to stop you before you could get on the Captain’s bad side.”

“I’m not a child,” Tony started, but stopped when he saw Loki shake his head.

“I know. And I also know that is not merely because you wish to know what is inside them, like Thor. This is something deeper, and while I do have my suspicions, I believe it would be best for both of us if you helped me understand.”

For a moment, Tony entertained the thought of brushing it off with a joke, and then pushing past Loki to go back to bed. He knew Loki would allow it, because despite the directness of the words, Loki’s light tone left room for flexibility. He wasn’t going to force Tony to talk– he really was simply admitting his own interest. Besides, it wasn’t like Clint was in the room, or Natasha. There was nothing to be worried about, here, because it was only Loki. Only one of Tony’s best friends.

Maybe he should just be honest.

“I’ve never...” Tony glanced away. “Well. I haven’t had a Christmas present in years. Not since Jarvis died at least, and even then they were never placed under a tree. I know it’s stupid, I just—“

“It’s not stupid,” Loki cut in, but Tony was on a bit of a roll. It was kind of a condition of his– once he started to talk, everything tended to just gush out.

“It’s not that I don’t get it,” he said. “I do. I mean, what do you get the guy who can buy himself anything, right? Why would anyone bother, when it’s just a waste of their money? I can afford far more than anyone else could. Really, I should be the one buying everything, except then it’s too much and it makes them uncomfortable. But if I don’t get them something expensive when money means so little to me, then I’m being stingy. There is no winning for me, and if I can’t give gifts properly, then I really can’t expect anyone to get me anything, anyway. And if I feel bad about _that_ then I’m ungrateful, because I am so much better off than almost everyone else on the planet and I could just buy anything I wanted myself, anyway.” Tony rubbed his hands hard over his face. “Christmas sucks.”

Loki was frowning now, his brows creased.

“Sorry,” Tony winced. Damn gushing. “I know, you don’t want to hear this shit. Poor rich kid, huh? Got too many presents as a child and now he’s whining about not having enough.”

Still, there was hardly a response. Tony wasn’t sure what he wanted– did he want Loki to sympathise? To agree that he was being dramatic? To hit him for being so incredibly insensitive to all those Tony _knew_ were worse off than him?

He didn’t think any of it would make him feel better. He wasn’t sure what _could_.

But rather than any of those things, Loki seemed to merely be thinking. And then, after a few moments of contemplation, he simply went to the tree and picked up a present from underneath. Tony recognised the red box and shiny gold bow immediately– the very first present that had appeared at the beginning of the month.

It was a little odd to say the least, and Tony was about to make a half hearted attempt at a quip regarding hypocrisy when Loki held the gift out to him. But Loki’s gaze was determined, so Tony tentatively took the gift and lifted up the tag.

 _To Tony,_  
_Merry Christmas!_  
_From Steve._

It was...

Well.

Tony swallowed down the lump in his throat, turning the present over in his hands. The implications of this were simply impossible, because for this box to have his name on it meant that not only had Steve bought Tony a gift, but it had been the very first one. Not an afterthought. Not something to appease him.

Steve had thought of him and bought something special, and—

And—

There were more of them.

Tony couldn’t help but kneel beside the tree, flipping up tags. None of them zapped him this time and, while most were to the other Avengers, he kept on finding his own name over and over.

_To Tony, from Bruce._

_To Tony, from Clint._

_To Tony, from Nat._

_To Tony, from..._

“Loki?” Tony asked, looking up from the tag on the present to stare at his friend in shock. “You bought me something?”

“Not quite,” Loki admitted with a nonchalant shrug that was clearly meant to hide something more real. “The others did say that it wasn’t meant to be a sacrifice, but from what I understand of gift giving, some thought and meaning should be put behind what is given. And I have nothing to pay with save that which you allow me to use, and that did not seem right. Neither did I think you would appreciate stealing, so I... well. You shall have to see in the morning, as tradition dictates.”

“You _made_ me something?” Tony deduced, unable to help himself. Carefully, almost reverently, he placed the red box back under the tree in favour of the one clad in shimmering green wrapping– which was, incidentally, the very present that had turned into a snake earlier. It didn’t this time, though. Thankfully.

“I didn’t say that,” Loki replied, the beginnings of a smile dancing around the corners of his lips.

“Yeah, whatever,” Tony allowed, his gaze falling back to the present. _His_ present. From _Loki_. “I still can’t quite believe you got me anything.”

“I was told that it was custom to get a present for someone you are close to,” Loki said warmly. “You procured a gift for me, did you not?”

“Yeah,” Tony breathed. While he had been preoccupied it seemed that Loki had moved closer, standing right in Tony’s space like he owned it. Tony found that not only didn’t he mind, but he liked it, almost instinctively leaning in closer, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

Loki’s meaning, after all, was clear. _Someone you are close to_. They had been growing closer for weeks.

In that moment, Tony wasn’t entirely sure what he was expecting, but he damn well _hoped_. Loki’s expression was open and bright, and his hand reached out, moving as if he were about to draw Tony in closer. But rather than initiating the contact that Tony had started to crave, Loki’s hand instead landed on the green present Tony still held between them.

“We must put this back,” Loki said sternly, tugging the gift gently from his hands. “You are not to open it until the morning.”

“You’re taking this very seriously,” Tony said, unable to help the smile even as Loki pulled away to place the present back under the tree. His focus remained on Loki entirely, no longer concerned or awed by the presents he knew were marked with his name– at least, not while there was something far more remarkable to hold his interest.

“The tradition seems important,” Loki replied, straightening and turning face Tony once more.

“Well, sort of, I guess,” Tony said. “But you know we’re not going to force you into anything, right? It’s like Steve told you, not everyone celebrates Christmas even on Earth. You didn’t have to do it just to follow what Steve said.”

“I didn’t do because they wished it, or because I felt pressured,” Loki said, shaking his head. “It was just for you.”

Tony blinked. “Sorry, it was what?”

“It seemed like it was important to you,” Loki echoed, his gaze softening as he lifted his hand. And this time, his fingers curled into Tony’s shirt, twisting the material and feeling reassuringly like an anchor. “It was something that you seemed to feel deeply about, and I...”

And then, mid sentence and with hardly any warning, Loki leaned down and pressed a kiss to Tony’s lips.

It was soft and fast, and by the time Tony had entirely realised what was happening, Loki had already pulled away and was staring at Tony with rare vulnerability.

“Loki?” Tony asked a little dazed. “You...”

“Christmas is about spending time with people you care about,” Loki said firmly, holding Tony’s gaze despite the way his hand was almost beginning to tremble against Tony’s chest. “I may only just be starting to understand the tradition, but I know that I want to spend this time with you.”

Oh.

Oh, that _hurt_.

“You’re just doing this because it’s Christmas,” Tony realised, something in his chest splintering just a little bit. “You don’t have to do that, you know. This isn’t—“

“No,” Loki said fiercely, his grip tightening in Tony’s shirt. “You listen to me, Tony Stark. Over the past weeks I have realised that you do not believe people can think highly of you, which is something we are going to discuss at length. But for now, I need you to understand that I care about you a lot, and I have for a long time. You are witty and clever and caring, and you see me when no one else does. And I kissed you because I wanted to, because I knew it would make me happy– and because I had hoped that it would make you happy, too.”

Though most of his speech had been firm and direct, Loki’s voice had softened at the end there, a little bit of nervousness creeping in. It was honestly endearing, and Tony felt all of his apprehension melt away, replaced by a warm, intense feeling that he was a little afraid to name.

“It did,” Tony said, deciding to answer Loki’s half question before he could fall too deep into analysing his own feelings. “It, uh. Yeah, it made me happy, too.”

“Good,” Loki replied firmly. “Then I shall do it again.”

Tony grinned, already leaning closer. “No complaints from me.”

They kissed long and deep, their movements slow and infused with emotion that had been growing for weeks. And after they parted and went their separate ways, unwilling to rush something that felt so precious, Tony felt a whole lot lighter.

Maybe Christmas wasn’t meant to be anything specific, not in the way Tony had thought in the past. And maybe there was no reason to be worried about doing it wrong. So long as he could spend the time with the people he cared about, then maybe this Christmas would turn out all right, after all.


End file.
